City of Morgan Hill Bikeways, Trails, Parks and Recreation Master Plan

Section 7: Recommendations | May 2017 Sports Market Business Strategy – Morgan Hill, CA PAGE 99

 Existing major demand generators

 Destination location

 Residential population

 Population with disposable income

 Quality sporting, recreation and health & wellness facilities

 Great transportation access

 Quality restaurants and downtown district

The challenges, as we see them, for the destination are:

 Fractured tourism effort

 Not speaking with one voice

 No sports tourism buy-in from hotels

 No large convention, meeting, conference or exhibit facility

UNMET DEMAND Stakeholder interviews indicated that there is a local need (within Morgan Hill) for quality outdoor fields, sand volleyball, baseball/softball and a multipurpose indoor venue capable of hosting an array of events from sports, meetings, conferences and trade shows. Based on the local need and regional inventory of facilities, there is justification for additional outdoor fields (soccer, football, lacrosse, rugby, etc.), a complex dedicated to sand volleyball and an indoor facility. The Outdoor Sports Center draws events and visitors on a regional level. Soccer remains a popular sport locally, and regionally. Considering the cross-utilization of outdoor fields – whether it is soccer, football or lacrosse – it can be difficult for teams or groups looking to gain consistent access to outdoor fields. With the quality of the fields at the OSC being questioned by local users, it would be wise to upgrade the existing fields and consider installing Field Turf to eliminate the maintenance and dependence on water for a safe, and quality playing surface. Adding a sand volleyball complex with a high quantity of courts would cater to the growing national and regional popularity of the sport on a competitive and recreational level. The recent certification of sand volleyball by the NCAA and International Olympic Committee has resulted in a steady year-over-year growth

6 East Monroe Street | Fifth Floor | Chicago, Illinois 60603 | Phone: 312.447.2010 | Fax: 312.444.1125 www.chjc.com